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The Ascent Of Rum Doodle

W.E. Bowman,

Bill Bryson (Introduction)

3.79 · Rating details · 1,818 ratings · 222 reviews

First published in 1956, The Ascent of Rum Doodle quickly became established as a mountaineering classic. As an outrageously funny spoof about the ascent of a 40,000-and-a-half-foot peak, many thought it inspired by the 1953 conquest of Everest. But Bowman had drawn on the flavour and tone of earlier adventures, of Bill Tilman and his 1937 account of the Nandi Devi expedit ...more

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Paperback, 192 pages

Published October 4th 2001 by Pimlico (first published January 1st 1956)

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May 25, 2012 Jogle rated it really liked it

Shelves: fiction, travel-adventure, witty-or-funny

For reasons associated with but not limited to having no friends, I arrived one night alone and at very short notice in Kathmandu. The prehistoric taxi from the airport was assembled from many previously fossilised taxis, and after only a few hundred exhilarating yards, violently disassembled on unsurprisingly crashing into what I assumed was the target motorcycle. The ensuing melee moved almost seamlessly into my trek on foot, carrying a rucksack (passably similar to an American ‘backpack’) con For reasons associated with but not limited to having no friends, I arrived one night alone and at very short notice in Kathmandu. The prehistoric taxi from the airport was assembled from many previously fossilised taxis, and after only a few hundred exhilarating yards, violently disassembled on unsurprisingly crashing into what I assumed was the target motorcycle. The ensuing melee moved almost seamlessly into my trek on foot, carrying a rucksack (passably similar to an American ‘backpack’) containing poorly assembled and tragically selected inappropriate items, through rival protest marches of bandana swathed Communists and Maoists, who seemed unwilling to accept my entreaties based on a firm belief that Maoists were Communists and vice versa. I eventually made the deserted safety of narrow threatening streets swathed in the comforting deathly blackness of a randomly scheduled power blackout, and was lured at the point of a dehydration induced delirium tremens to the twinkling candlelit balcony of a bar – the world famous Rum Doodle Bar (height 40,000 and 1/2ft). Over a bottle of Ghurkha Beer emblazoned with the famous Tenzing Norgay Everest photo, I was inspired on reading from the blurb scrawled on the strangely moving wall that the bar was named after a famous 1950’s mountaineering ascent documented in an equally famous book. Ghurkhas came thick and fast, as elephants in a Dumbo nightmare, and I lapsed into something like the vomit inducing exhaustion of altitude sickness and forgot Rum Doodle as the illusion of a terrible Himalayan ague.

I came across this book recently, now rediscovered by Bill Bryson who forwards this edition, wandering friendless in a charity shop sheltering from the rain. The elation of seeing the name again provoked a gagging flashback of emotion so vivid that the smell and taste of Ghurkha Beer filled my senses, seeming to hang in the back of my throat as a portent of some imminent effusion of memory that would come straight from the pit of my stomach. As I’d previously been thrown out of this charity shop for a similar incident I hurriedly snatched the book.

An antidote to ‘Into Thin Air’ syndrome, I can see why Bryson loves it. His semi-anglophile mentality reflects but is not the same as this humour. Nor is it Monty Python, although perhaps Michael Palin’s Ripping Yarns is close. Actually, given the era it was written in, it is Goon Show - Spike Milligan, Sellers et al. Very funny spoof of expedition mountaineering that evidently became cult in those adventuring communities, meaning that several landmarks are now named after it.

If you need a break from serious books, give this a go. Very funny and you don’t need to be a mountaineer, although I personally have seen ‘Touching The Void’ and understand enough to know that when you are tired, hung-over or just plain can’t be bothered, always mumble something about altitude sickness.

Deserves its renaissance. Will be appreciated by anyone who realises that the best achievements in life are those that are futile and achieved to great acclaim under the banner of teamwork whilst at the expense of the efforts of other unsung people.

Great little book.

P.S. Disclaimer: Ghurkha Beer is very nice…ish.
...more

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Oct 11, 2012 Rhys rated it it was amazing

Shelves: five-star-books

The second funniest work of fiction I have ever read... It's a good example of British surrealism. The British never really regarded surrealism as a serious artform and most examples of British surrealism are in fact strange comedies with no especial interest in the concerns of the original Surrealists (Freudian psychology, automatic writing, unpalatable honesty regarding sexual desires, etc).

This novel stands comparison with *Three Men in a Boat* or *Diary of a Nobody* but it's much ...more

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Apr 06, 2015 Tiago Vitória rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Recommends it for: Mountaineers

I have to be really honest about this book. I couldn't enjoy it. To be honest, Bowman's style of writing it is really tiring and I was often drifting with my focus on the book. Although I have to say that's probably my problem and not Bowman's. As a matter of fact his writing is surprisingly good and very well polished. What I did not like about the book it's the fact that almost every part of it seems like a sitcom, everything is happening and nothing seems to happen. The characters are dull an ...more

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Sep 18, 2012 Ellinor rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: guardian1000, travel, parody, guardian1000_comedy

The Ascent of Rum Doodle is a parody on mountaineers and as with all parodies there are people who love them and others who really don't see anything in them. I'm a bit in the middle of these two. The writing was over the top and there were lots of funny paragraphs - I just didn't laugh as much as I had hoped. My expectations were very high, especially because Bill Bryson in the foreword calls this the funniest book he ever read. It is funny, just not as funny as I thought. Sometimes it was also ...more

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Dec 25, 2013 Jamie rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites

Absolutely hilarious, giggled like a schoolgirl all the way through. I'm off to meditate on the responsibilities of leadership...

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May 11, 2017 Wendy rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

The Ascent of Rum Doodle is a jaunty parody of inept mountaineers, who couldn’t organise a raffle at a village fete let alone master the 40,000 (and a half) ft climb to the peak of ‘Rum Doodle’.

These ‘professionals’ have the most ironic surnames like Burley, who was was anything but as he was out of sorts after failing to acclimatise to any step of their journey, the team’s medical assistance was provided by a Dr Prone who contracted everything from mumps to malaria, while Constant unint The Ascent of Rum Doodle is a jaunty parody of inept mountaineers, who couldn’t organise a raffle at a village fete let alone master the 40,000 (and a half) ft climb to the peak of ‘Rum Doodle’.

These ‘professionals’ have the most ironic surnames like Burley, who was was anything but as he was out of sorts after failing to acclimatise to any step of their journey, the team’s medical assistance was provided by a Dr Prone who contracted everything from mumps to malaria, while Constant unintentionally offended the local porters at every available opportunity with his professed linguistic skill, and their navigator, Jungle, aptly couldn’t find the wood for the trees.

The ‘Rum Doodle’ campaign reaches farcical proportions as their specially selected liabilities hamper progress at every possible turn. The team leader, Binder (his radio code name), is a naïve shepherd with a flock that regularly outwits him. He is blissfully unaware of the reverse psychology they apply in order to avoid sharing a tent with his inexhaustible counsel.

The greatest threat to their party wasn’t in fact Binder, the altitude, or mutiny every time Constant opened his mouth, but Pong, a cook with the most frightful culinary ability to ‘demoralise’ all grown men. Strategies were developed to minimise exposure of his contribution to their endeavour but his presence was ludicrously unshakeable.

And with the exception of Binder’s incessant obsession for dredging up every team member’s fiancée status (regardless of how curious their replies are) this story is completely dominated by men. I can honestly say I hadn’t noticed the omission of female characters until the end as I was busy being carried away by their absurd behaviour and the futility of meticulous planning!

There were memorable gems of recklessness and ridicule throughout, but my absolute favourites were when the team had diagnosed the doctor as having hopes of a recovery on the basis that he hadn’t expired yet, and the moment Binder’s tears secured his face to the ice during a momentary lapse of emotional composure. Plus this one, where the leader is once again trying to raise morale …

"Poor Prone seemed quite low, and to cheer him up I encouraged him to talk about his home. Had he a fiancée? I asked. He said, no, his wife was the unsympathetic kind and his children considered one mother quite enough."

Binder’s valiant efforts to provide his calamitous conquerors with the necessary encouragement turned into an ascent of endurance rather than an expedition. I mean, exactly how many people can you lose in a crevasse before something twigs?! Loved it! 😀 ...more

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Jan 04, 2014 Gary Hoffman rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, humor

An overlooked classic. Read it in a single sitting. Extremely silly, in a good way, and often funny enough to bring tears.

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Dec 27, 2017 Lisa rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: own, been-around-the-world-and-i-i-i, 2017, comedy

As someone who has paged through the expedition diaries of more than one Victorian explorer, I found a lot to like about The Ascent of Rum Doodle, a satire of those very types of people and their writing. But even if you haven’t has the pleasure of reading much in that genre, you may still find something to like within.

Led by Binder, a man desperate to be the type of leader he’s read about but lacking any insight into himself and others and trying to find it by constantly questioning everyo ...more

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Dec 22, 2013 Eric rated it really liked it

Recommends it for: Fans of farcical humor

Shelves: humor, audiobooks

I added this book to my to-read shelf after reading this blog post. After reading it, I fully endorse it as worthy of adding to your to-read shelf as well.

The premise is straightforward. Binder -- who is, to give a modern equivalent, very similar to Michael Scott from The Office -- is leading an expedition to ascend to the top of the Rum Doodle mountain peak. His companions include a translator that appears to not know the native language, a doctor who remains sick with various maladies, a nav ...more

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Jan 13, 2012 Antonomasia rated it really liked it

Shelves: humour, 2013, british, decade-1950s, outdoors-and-nature

A classic British comic novel about a shambolic Himalayan mountaineering expedition. Perhaps a forgotten classic - it's been familiar to me for a long time and I didn't know it wasn't well-known until I read Bill Bryson's introduction. He compares it with Diary of a Nobody - the narrator is similarly incompetent, though perhaps marginally less pompous. (There's an awful lot happening, so less time to be so.) There's also a touch of Goonish / Pythonesque surrealism and a dash of Ealing charm. And quite a lot of ...more

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Mar 22, 2016 Alistair rated it really liked it

Shelves: humourous-nonfiction

Rum Doodle is one of the funniest, silliest (in the best sense!) books I've ever read. Bill Bryson's commendation on the cover is spot on: "One of the funniest books you will ever read." A spoof of the mountaineering community in the early 20th century, Bowman's deadpan style of delivery is a sheer delight. Take just one passage; one of the climbers has had a fixation with fiancees ever since a child(!?) To distract his attention his parents give him a catapult. "Except for the additional expens ...more

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Sep 24, 2014 Ilona rated it it was ok

Shelves: 2014, gave-up-on, humour

I think Bill Bryson is one of the funniest authors out there. Bill Bryson thinks Rum Doodle is one of the funniest books out there. Therefore, I should find Rum Doodle extremely funny, right?

Nope.

That was my reasoning when I picked the book up from the library, but no. I could see where the humour was, for sure. I smiled regularly for the first two or three chapters. I probably would have kept smiling if I'd kept reading, but the story didn't grip me, and the humour wasn' ...more

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Feb 19, 2015 Tweedledum rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: gr-review, 2015-books-read, humour

I love the serendipity of books. 1 month ago I discover this obscure and forgotten spoof on my bibliophilic son's ever growing bookshelves. Today I find a reference to it in another book I am reading... !

In this age of political correctness and sensitivities to all kinds of imagined slights The Ascent of Rum Doodle could never be written.for this reason alone it deserves to be rediscovered and celebrated. Thank God for a time when people could see the funny side of things without taking offence ...more

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Dec 19, 2014 JOYCE GODSEY rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: very-funny-books

I am delighted to find that after 37 years as a used bookseller, i can still discover a new favorite book and fall in love. Though I am slightly embarrassed that I am only discovering Rum Doodle NOW, but perhaps books come along in your life just when you need them. The Ascent of Rum Doodle can only be described as a Good Show epic running on all cylinders. The conquering of a mountain has never and will never be this funny. Give this book to someone whose never ending devotion you wan to earn, ...more

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Apr 22, 2014 Laura rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

One of the best comic novels I have ever read. Extremely well observed and deserves to be thought of as one of the true classics of comic literature along with P.G.Wodehouse. I particularly loved the leader of the expedition who exemplifies the stereotype of the optimistic but not at all worldly British ex-public schoolboy.

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Oct 23, 2018 Danita L rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: humor, available-at-bpl, fiction, favorite-books, guardian-1000-novels

LOVE IT! One of the best and funniest books I've ever read. I'd recommend it to everyone who loves a good spoof. My first reaction was that I needed to buy a copy so I could grab it and start reading again anytime I wanted.

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Nov 18, 2016 Stevyn Colgan rated it it was amazing

Very British and very funny. A lovely gentle humour runs throughout much in the vein of 'Diary of a Nobody' and 'Three Men in a Boat'; two other books of which I am inordinately fond. A great read.

I want to watch 'Ripping Yarns' again now.

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Jan 25, 2011 Mimi rated it liked it

Shelves: read-2011

Loaned to me by a friend who said, "this book is very funny." I couldn't agree with the assessment more. It was a good treadmill read, although I nearly fell off a couple of times.

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Jan 03, 2019 Bev rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: classic-lit, fiction, mcpl-book, virtual-mount-tbr-2019, humor, british, parody

Bill Bryson introduces the 2001 edition of W. E. Bowman's The Ascent of Rum Doodle (orig. pub. 1956) as "one of the funniest books you will ever read." He gives us great expectations of the delights that await us as we read Bowman's parody of the great mountain-climbing expeditions of the early 20th Century. "Binder" (as our narrator is code-named for the group's walkie-talkie usage) is the leader of this grand adventure and tells us the story of the eight brave men and 3,000 Yogistani porters who tac Bill Bryson introduces the 2001 edition of W. E. Bowman's The Ascent of Rum Doodle (orig. pub. 1956) as "one of the funniest books you will ever read." He gives us great expectations of the delights that await us as we read Bowman's parody of the great mountain-climbing expeditions of the early 20th Century. "Binder" (as our narrator is code-named for the group's walkie-talkie usage) is the leader of this grand adventure and tells us the story of the eight brave men and 3,000 Yogistani porters who tackle the true highest peak in the Himalayas. The group is actually the greatest collection of misfits with misnomers ever assembled. Binder most certainly does not bind his group together. Burley is not the epitome of health and strength that one might expect. And so on... It a miracle that any of them ever reach the peak of anything...or do they? You'll have to read to find out.

Something tells me that reading this book is something like what I would experience if I were to decide to actually climb a large mountain...like Everest or that taller mountain, Rum Doodle. It would go something like this

~Boy, isn't this fun? I'm having a great time.
~Still enjoying myself. Nice scenery. Great adventure.
~What? Oh, yes, I am getting a little bit tired...but this is fun. I can totally do it.
~Hmmm. That bit of mountain ahead looks remarkably like that bit of mountain back there. Only steeper.
~Puff. Puff. It's getting a little difficult to get my bearings. And I'm getting a little light-headed. Why do I feel so tired?
~Goodness this is getting repetitive. And I'm really getting tired of climbing. When do we get to the peak?
~Seriously...are we there yet?
~I'm certain I thought this was a good idea when I started...but...does anyone know why?
~I don't think I can take another step...I mean it...Oh, wait. Is that the top? We're there? But I can't see anything with all those clouds in the way. Are you sure this was worth it?

I really enjoyed the first third or so. The British humor was humming along nicely and I was gently chuckling away to myself. But then just like the mountain bits that looked remarkably like other mountain bits only steeper...the humor was very repetitive and it got worse as we went along. Binder imposing himself on one of his men and forcing him to tell the "story" of his childhood...or his fiancee...or his broken heart just wasn't funny any more. And it was no longer funny that the reader knew that Binder's climbing buddies were leading him up the garden path and telling him the most incredible nonsense and yet Binder was taking it as the gospel truth. And Jungle getting lost for the 153rd time was no longer funny. And the fact that the number 153 was the magic number for everything. And the constant movement from Base Camp to Advance Camp 1 (and 2 and 3 and 4 and...) and back again became irritating nonsense instead of comical nonsense. And the fact that no matter what they did they couldn't lose Pong, the Yogistani cook with a knack for turning the most desirable delicacies into the most nauseating mush, for love or money.

This would have been a heck of a lot funnier if Bowman had had more strings to his bow (so to speak)--if he hadn't harped on the same exact jokes every step of the way up the mountain. ★★★ But there are several four- and five-star ratings out there on Goodreads, so your mileage may vary.

First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. thanks. ...more

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Aug 21, 2015 Henry rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I'd already read 'The Ascent of Rum Doodle' so this was very much to read 'The Cruise of the talking Fish' and complete my Bowman experience. It didn't disappoint. Although not as accomplished as Rum Doodle and far more fantastical in its ideas, the comedy was just as sharp and amusing and the characters extreme, albeit half of them were animal able to communicate with humans. It has made me realise that this is the Bowman book I need a copy of as opposed to Rum Doodle on its own.

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Jan 28, 2014 A.K. rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This is a farcical story of a group of "climbers" setting out to tackle the daunting (and imaginary) summit of Rum Doodle. It's told in first person by a decidedly non-omniscient narrator who observes the laziness and bickering of his climbing team with unfailingly naive goodwill. I enjoyed the dry, subtle humor--laugh-out-loud in many places. A bit slow at times, but all-in-all a funny read. I'd probably give it 3.5 stars if I had the option, but it deserves to be rounded up rather than down.

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Apr 02, 2017 Prateek Malhotra rated it really liked it

Recommending it for people interested in:-
Mountain climbing, ropes, crevasses, porters, boys, skunks, gurgles, warples, compasses, thermometers, Rum Doodle, North Doodle, teamwork, champagne, and, of course, the thrill of achieving something together(along with porters that are beyond praise).

Hilarious and succinct; thoroughly enjoyed this one.

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Dec 01, 2009 Joe rated it really liked it

Shelves: nepal

You will find this book promnently on the front shelf of every bookstore in Thamel, the neighborhood of Kathmandu where all the mountaineers stay when in town, going to- or coming-back. Wonderful parody.

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Jul 04, 2019 Quail75 rated it it was amazing

Hysterical! Don’t read in a public place or others will think you are crazy!! Had to put the book down several times to wipe my eyes from laughing so hard I was crying!

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Jul 06, 2019 Ben rated it did not like it

Shelves: humor

Not that funny, and I think the satire, of mountaineering and mountaineering books, completely misses the mark. It could have been so much better.

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Mar 28, 2019 Wilde Sky rated it liked it · review of another edition

A humorous account of a mountaineering expedition.

I found this book a bit too silly.

Overall rating 2.5.

Reading time around two hours.

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May 07, 2019 Eldon.shirkley rated it it was amazing

Very funny mock-heroic narrative of the first ascent of the highest peak in the Himalayas: The successful climber was carried to the summit by the "splendid" sherpas. Bestowing of a knighthood might have been too obvious and Bowman wisely omits it.

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Jul 25, 2018 June Louise rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: classics, favorites, best-of-the-best, humour, 2018_reads, best-books-2018

"We could now number ourselves amongst those who had trod the ultimate heights and invaded nature's last stronghold against the advancing spirit of man.

I tried to remember all I had read about climbing at such heights. I took one step, then waited for ten minutes. This, I understood, was essential; our predecessors were unanimous about it: one step, then ten minutes' rest, or seven in an emergency. I found it more difficult than I had anticipated. To remain in one position for ten minutes was n "We could now number ourselves amongst those who had trod the ultimate heights and invaded nature's last stronghold against the advancing spirit of man.

I tried to remember all I had read about climbing at such heights. I took one step, then waited for ten minutes. This, I understood, was essential; our predecessors were unanimous about it: one step, then ten minutes' rest, or seven in an emergency. I found it more difficult than I had anticipated. To remain in one position for ten minutes was not at all easy [...] I noticed that the others seemed to be ignoring the procedure [...] [Constant] said that the early climbers had been forced to rest after every few steps because they were out of breath".

This is the immensely funny story of the ascent of the 40,000 (and a half) feet high mountain, Rum Doodle by a group of unlikely characters whose names describe them with Dickensian aptness: Burley (Major and mission strong-man), Binder (the extremely naive mission leader and narrator of the tale), Wish (the scientist), Shute (the photographer), Jungle (the communications expert and route-finder), Constant (diplomatist and linguist), and Prone (the medical doctor). These seven men, along with their band of 3,000 porters (known as Bangs), and 375 boys, attempt to conquer Rum Doodle, undergoing hilarious (mis)adventures on the way. If you are a UK reader and are familiar with the old TV comedy series 'Dad's Army', then this would be Mainwaring and his men deciding to climb a mountain. It can only end in disaster!

One of the purposes of the mission is to hunt out a creature indigenous to Rum Doodle - the warple. Binder describes his effort:

"I was on the look out for the altitude hallucinations and warples. Several times I thought I saw a warple, but it turned out to be a hallucination. Several times I thought I saw a hallucination, but it turned out to be a spot on my goggles. Once I thought I saw a spot on my goggles, but it turned out to be a warple which turned out to be a hallucination".

Between ascents and descents to different camps, with different characters and the loyal, (but dreadful chef) Bang (called Pong), the reader becomes drawn into the endeavour, even though at times you find yourself willing Binder to not be so naive and gullible! The twist at the end of the book provides a very satisfying ending though, leaving the book with that 'feel good' factor (but not in a cheesy Hollywood way). There are moments of satirical philosophy, and comical attempts at communication (both with the belching Bangs, and within the group via walkie talkie), but the essence of the book reflects the ways in which humour overcomes adversity, and the binding powers of humanity across cultures.

It's a great short read, and it made a welcome break from the long tomes that I have been immersed in recently. Would highly recommend.

...more

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Mar 08, 2009 Nikki rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fiction, humor, guardian-1000-novels

It is difficult to sustain parody through the length of a novel, even a short (171 pages) one such as The Ascent of Rum Doodle. Yet W. E. Bowman's subtle humor seldom palls and indeed the book grows funnier the further one reads.
The Ascent of Rum Doodle purports to be a report of a British mountain-climbing expedition, and the tone is perfect. Although it was published not long after the conquest of Everest by Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay, it is said to have been inspired by an earlier account of an ...more

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May 29, 2017 Lee Penney rated it really liked it

At 40,000-and-a-half-feet, Rum Doodle is the highest peak in the world and a team of experienced climbers is assembled at the request of Sir Hugeley Havering with the aim of reaching the summit. The story of their expedition, told by the team’s leader, is what forms the basis of the book.

As you can tell, this is a parody, mocking the derring-do and heroic sacrifice journaled in many expedition diaries, especially in the early part of the twentieth century.

The book apparen ...more

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